Blink

United Airlines, Netflix and Ethics

2009-09-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

The Situation

I have a bunch of United Airlines miles about to expire. Unfortunately, there aren't quite enough to get a ticket. My father, bless his heart, never wants to fly again, and has a bunch of miles that he will never use. United offers a service to transfer miles from one account to another (for a fee, of course). Match made in heaven right?

That would be a qualified yes.

The Reality

As usual, things turn out to be a little more complex than they strictly need to be. The breakdown looks like this:

Points in United's favor:

A ticket to Chicago to see my sister in Chicago will end up costing half what I would normally pay.

Detracting from United's favor:

It takes a minimum of 48 hours to credit my account and I'm 38 hours away from watching my current miles evaporate.

The Plot Thickens

This meant war. Well, not literally, I guess not even figuratively - war just isn't in my nature. However, when I finally manage to connect with a REAL customer service person from United - who was able to speak English understandably! - I explained the problem.

His name was Paul, I think. He listened, understood my issue and reacted with empathy. All of which are not necessarily easy to do in a second language. I was pretty impressed in general. In comparison with previous experience with United customer support, I was blown away.

Paul was kind enough to explain to me that I had two options to employ at this late date:

"Purchase" a $25 dining certificate for 1000 miles.
Donate 1000 miles to an approved charity.

Either of these would preserve the existing miles in my account, save the 1000 that I either traded or donated. Either way, these transactions would debit my account in real time. No 48 hour wait required.

This being explained, I had an appointment and I had to leave any decisions for later.

When I came back to it (granted it was 12 hours later) I evaluated my options. The dining certificate had significant drawbacks:

a VERY limited selection of participating establishments in my area (only 1).
spending requirements that made the certificate awkward for use as a gift (usually 2 times more than the value of the gift certificate).

Given these restrictions, I decided that donating miles would be more valuable and the Make a Wish Foundation caught my eye. Unfortunately, there is no way to make a donation online. United phone menu not withstanding, touching base with a CSR should be a fairly simple thing to do...except United's phone lines are closed for the night.

Delighting the Client

And this is where I start thinking about Netflix. Yes, I'm serious.

In the past year and a half, Netflix has gone from a movie rental organization with an original business model, to a leading provider of movies online. Oh, and originally, Netflix only received and sent DVD's Monday through Friday, 5 days a week. Now they have added Saturdays as well.

The goal of customer service - true customer service - is to delight the customer and I have to say that I've been delighted with the fact that Netflix is constantly looking for ways to INCREASE the value that they provide me...for the same - or sometimes even less - sticker price. As long as they continue to focus on providing value, I will be a loyal customer.

Gold Star for Netflix. Which brings me back to United.

Timing is of the Essence

Paul was a good CSR. But the company policy he had to represent seems two faced at best. In my opinion, any company that makes debiting your account a higher prioritythan crediting it is missing a fundamental opportunity in the Delighting Customers Mandate.

More than that, I consider an imbalance in the two to be a potential ethical violation. What do you think?

When Life Gives You Jelly Fish, Make Caramels

2009-09-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently in the sea-side town of Obama, Japan (not to be confused with the USA's current President) an infestation has created challenging conditions for local fishermen and a new opportunity for local high school students.

Located on the South Eastern coast of Japan, Obama was formerly a fishing town that has since become a thriving tourist attraction. Good thing, too, as huge numbers of giant Nomura's jellyfish, weighing up to 450 pounds each have invaded the Sea of Japan. Swarms of these invertebrates have visited the area before, with a devastating effect on the local fishing as they obliterate all the nets in their path.

But not everyone in Obama is panicing at the sight of these behemoths floating on the currents. In fact, students at a local high school, in true lemons = lemonade form, have created a tasty carmel confection out of these behemoths. Apparently the students catch, dry and grind up the massive blobs of gelatinous ooze in order to manufacture the latest trendy snack...you got it, caramels.

On a personal note, I'd be hesitant to ingest anything derived from an animal known to kill humans with its sting, but given that Japan thrives on serving up the poisonous puffer fish as a delicacy, perhaps, jellyfish caramels are going to be the next big tourist craze. Apparently, the student's marketing plan includes getting thier treats a seat on the next Japanese flight to the International Space Station. Who knows where the craze could spread from there...

To read more:
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/japanese-fight-giant-jellyfish-invasion-jellyfish-infused-space-c?partner=best_of_newsletter

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0119_060119_jellyfish.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama,_Fukui

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/19/japan.jellyfish/index.html

On Strengths and Star Trek

2009-09-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I was introduced to "Discover Your Strengths," a test which came with the manifesto that you would be more likely to excel when you pursued interests and activities connected to the top 5 strength themes.

Mine happen to be, though not necessarily in this order: Responsibility, Deliberative, Adaptability, Harmony and Intellection.

I take on the responsibility of completing projects to the best of my ability, think long and hard about choices, can adapt to most situations and have a VERY loose interpretation of time, and am intellectually stimulated to think about a wide variety of subjects.

So I just ran into the description of a book by the name of "The Power of 2" about to be released by Gallup. I don't remember the author's names (so sorry!) but they make the point that a true collaborative relationship takes advantage of complementing strengths. What one person has as strengths are the other's weaknesses.

I've seen this played out in my life. I have a personality similar to that of Spock of Star Trek fame. I have emotions, don't often display them and prefer to analyse things from a distance than be involved in them. At one point in time, I had a "Kirk" as boss. While we had our ups and downs...and let's face it the challenges of communicating were interesting, overall it was the best working relationship I had ever had and one that I hope to repeat.

While I'm sure that these strengths referred to don't necessarily connect to the strengths of Strengths Finder, and I haven't read this book yet, but I do wonder if it is just as necessary to have some strengths in common as well. Certainly, similar beliefs about a shared interaction is important and I'd think there would need to be some kind of empathy or fairness at play in order for both parties to respect each other. But that more than likely shows a bias of some kind on my part!

Anyway, I look forward to reading more on the topic and I'm reflecting on the possibility that perhaps instead of looking for a position that leans on my strengths, I should also be looking for a partner with complimentary strengths. At least the end goal is a bit more refined?

Learning Outside the Comfort Zone

2009-06-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

So, I just took a really quick - a bit over 5 days for 2000+ miles - road trip down to Nevada and Utah. What beautiful country!

This is the first time I've ever done anything like this by myself...so as you can imagine, it was a learning experience. Here are a few of the gems:

Shields are legitimate cave formations...rare, but legitimate.
Hiking at 10,000 feet can dry out your lips in record time. Remember to bring chapstick to such outings.
There are A LOT more bugs in Nevada than in Central Oregon. Never fear, quite a few of them experienced fatal deceleration on the front of my car.
Going into Nevada consists of a lot of "UP." It is after all the most mountainous state in the union.
75 mph is a nice cruising speed.
If someone is going 15+ miles over the speed limit on I-80 in Nevada, there is a 9 in 10 chance they have a Utah license plate.
There are towns small enough to have a hand printed list in the grocery store of all the people whose checks will not be accepted.
Utah has very few churches.
I might have found the only motel in Utah that did not have a Book of Mormon in the nightstand.
Motels in Nevada might be the WORST. Mine had no towels, soap, or toilet handle. And that was the "good" motel room.

The Shoemaker's Children

2009-05-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

I've been reflecting on what makes a "world class" organization recently. Leadership is the beginning, middle and end of this discussion, however, it seems to me that good leadership manifests internally in one specific way: The organization itself avoids the "Shoemaker's Children" effect.

You know the drill, the shoemaker is so involved in making shoes that his own children go barefoot.

Our businesses and organizations can have much the same issue. The organization that wants to clearly present an social issue to the world, can have issues with internal communciations. The service company that is convinced that what they are doing can benefit their clients, offers lesser or spotty services to those inside the company.

Authenticity both inside and outside a company is IMPERATIVE. Do everything for your internal customers that you do for the external customers and then your internal customers will end up singing the praises of your products and services! What a great way to build customer and employee loyalty!

Shifts Happen

2009-05-27T23:11:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing that makes me feel terrible, it's watching someone "open mouth and insert foot." Kinda ridiculous since we all do it at one time or another, some of us more often than most, but that kind of embarrassment can frequently bring on nausea.

Good reason to dislike comedy.

So, imagine the shock when I realized that my movie and TV watching habits have shifted toward *gasp* COMEDY! I had always thought of Seinfeld, Frasier, Cheers and Friends as completely bland when they weren't downright dumb. The Office has potential, but it brings on a very awkward sense of squirreliness and unease. Up until this year, MASH was the one and only comedy worth watching.

And then I discovered Keen Eddie. And Boston Legal. And Doctor Who. And Arrested Development. All clever, thought provoking and FUNNY.

How refreshing!

Information Overload

2009-05-26T22:20:00.001-07:00

It has become increasingly clear that one of the biggest threats to the continued profitability and productivity of the modern employees is email.

Just about any manager or owner can prattle on about the amazing amount of time they think their direct reports are spending on Facebook, Twitter or other social media, but the reality is that one of the things that may be shunting them off to these other pursuits is an overflowing email box.

I'm of the opinion that the email box is one of the most pleasant and obnoxious inventions. And, of course, I am only referring to the email that I want to receive. The rest, roughly 75%, is SPAM. Computers, and especially email, made life speed up. And yet, while I am tethered to Outlook during the day, I have a really hard time checking my personal email on a consistent basis. Why? Because the amount of information I deal with during the day rivals that of a Herman Melville novel and is just about as obtuse. Personal email, well, it seems to be even more obtuse that.

If only by way of personal experience, it is clear to me that we've moved into the Information Overload age. Were I an aspiring Science Fiction writer, I would be considering what the perpetual state of "too much information" will look like. Perhaps it would be comprised of ignoring everything except those things that entertain. Or perhaps it would create an impossibly massive amount of personal connections that eventually need so much time to maintain that the truly necessary interpersonal relationships are completely lost in the shuffle. Or perhaps a scenario in which information is perpetually pursued, but decisions are elusive because we can never have "all the information" on the subject.

Arguably our culture has integrated each of these themes along with a number of others, most directly or indirectly linked to the burgeoning amount of information available to the average citizen. But the real question is "How do we fix it?"

The ironic thing about this post is that an article in a book entitled More Space: Nine Antidotes to Complacency in Business is what got me on the soap box. The book is a compilation of thoughts from several prominent business bloggers, and tucked away on page 34 in the chapter by Marc Orchant, he suggests that the way to "Get Things Done" especially in terms of email, PowerPoint and meetings requires us to assimilate more INFORMATION! My gut reaction was somewhere between an eye roll and tossing the book in the fireplace. Here the entire article was on how everything about business...including email...was broken, mostly due to the lack of pertinent information/information overload applied to brains that weren't meant to deal with such stress, how in the world could he recommend MORE INFORMATION to solve the problem!?! Wasn't that what we were drowning in already?

Then I got it. It wasn't so much the fact that more information is needed, just better information. And therein lies one of the greatest challenges for all people and businesses. Find "the best" information and make it work.

Now how does one apply that to email?

Welcome to Saturday!

2009-05-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

So, it is Saturday, and as usual, there is so much to do! It is fantastically sunny and should top out at a comfortable 72 degrees. I'm looking forward to getting together with friends out in the back country to camp out tonight!

Yet another reason why Central Oregon has to be the BEST place on Earth!

Everything in Motion

2009-05-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last summer I finally began to understand why golf was such an attraction to executives. I went out to the driving range for the first time with a friend, a few beers and a quest to figure out this whole golf thing while at the same time not looking too ridiculous.

"Esther, you are too concerned about how you look," was Tim's observation after a few practice swings. He was amused. I was embarrassed. In fact every perfectionist bone in my body was rebelling at the thought of a sport that I wouldn't be able to pick up the basics of right away. Let's just say that the first part of the evening was a lesson in humility that ended up with what one bystander characterized as a "sweet swing."

"It's too bad that it is all downhill from here," said Tim. I was just about ready to shoot some snide remark back at him when I realized what he had said and just ended up looking at him with one of those really puzzled looks on my face.

Apparently, I found out, the first golfing excursion is always more satisfying than subsequent outings. A newbie actually feels like they've achieved something. Fueled by this sense of transendence, an addiction is born which involves a good chunk of the rest of life chasing a small white ball around various manicured grasslands finding out EXACTLY how much there still is to learn about creating a good "Swing."

Other than the fact that true Scotsmen play in their kilts, the "Swing" is the most important part of the game. I'm sure there there, but I can't think of another sport off hand - except T-ball - where everything in the system for motivating the ball is moving - EXCEPT the ball. Golf is a simple premise, with a seemingly simple goal. Hit the ball and get it where you want it. However, the mechanics of the human body make it nearly impossible to swing exactly the same way twice in a lifetime, never mind twice in a row.

And therein lies the challenge - the white whale - of golf and work to executives. How in the H-e-double hockey sticks does one motivate all the parts of an organization to do a "Swing" in a coordinated way that will create profit and growth. And THEN be able to do it AGAIN.

Obviously there are tools, strategies and experience, but that doesn't guarantee anything. And what fun would work or golf be without a challenge?

Thinking in the Future Tense

2009-05-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the used bookstore had a larger than normal number of interesting business books on its shelves. Given my love affair with the written word and the ideas found bound up in paper, books have become an absolute addiction. But that is neither here nor there.

After waking up this morning with the jitters, ready to take on the world and at the same time having no real plan for the day, I chose to peruse the tome entitled Thinking in the Future Tense by Jennifer James. This, of course, took place right after bolting down a fantastic freshly made waffle covered in butter and liquid gold - other wise known as real maple syrup - while dreaming of taking that 3 mile walk around the park. This book, I thought, would be a soothing way to feel like I had accomplished something during the day.

I had recently been to a cash flow seminar in which we went through the exercise of drawing our dreams. Yeah, it sounded cheesy to me, too. What really intrigued me was the fact that I had such a hard time doing it. Apparently, I'm a bit stunted in the dreaming department. In modern parlance, I have a "lack of vision."

So back to the bookstore.

When I picked up this book, I was thinking back to that "Drawing your Dreams" exercise. For some reason the two ideas seemed to be logically linked to each other. The drawing exercise had been very therapeutic and calming. I was expecting much the same thing from this book.

Life is what happens when you are making other plans.

What I got was a tour de force description of all the jarring chaos that is modern life. An introduction to the fact that technology has changed our lives in ways we don't even realize. The inference being that it is humans being adapted to technology, not the other way around. Having been a techie for most of my life, this isn't news. But having it in black and white on this particular day somehow legitimized everything I already knew on an instinctual level, and in one blink has all my objections to change running at full steam. And that was just the first chapter.

I'm scared. I know I'm not alone in this, but I wonder if I am "cyborg" enough to really succeed in the brave new world coming down the pike. That being said, the fear will eventually recede. And when it does, rational thought and proactive solutions to adapting to a world that isn't quite here yet will start unraveling, but for now, I need that walk.